Blockchain-based vs. SQL Database Systems for Digital Twin Evidence Management: A Comparative Forensic Analysis

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Franken, Boyd, Nguyen-Le, Hong-Hanh, Le-Khac, Nhien-An
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Franken, Boyd
Nguyen-Le, Hong-Hanh
Le-Khac, Nhien-An
author_facet Franken, Boyd
Nguyen-Le, Hong-Hanh
Le-Khac, Nhien-An
contents Digital forensics faces unprecedented challenges with the emergence of digital twins and metaverse technologies. This paper presents the first comparative analysis between blockchain-based and traditional database systems for managing digital twin evidence in forensic investigations. We conducted controlled experiments comparing the Ethereum blockchain with IPFS storage against traditional SQL databases for digital twin evidence management. Our findings reveal that while blockchain provides superior data integrity and immutability, crucial for forensic applications, traditional databases offer better performance consistency. The blockchain implementation showed faster average storage times but higher variability in retrieval operations. Both systems maintained forensic integrity through hash verification, though blockchain's immutable nature provides additional security guarantees essential for legal proceedings. This research contributes to the development of robust digital forensic methodologies for emerging technologies in the metaverse era.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_00645
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Blockchain-based vs. SQL Database Systems for Digital Twin Evidence Management: A Comparative Forensic Analysis
Franken, Boyd
Nguyen-Le, Hong-Hanh
Le-Khac, Nhien-An
Cryptography and Security
Databases
Digital forensics faces unprecedented challenges with the emergence of digital twins and metaverse technologies. This paper presents the first comparative analysis between blockchain-based and traditional database systems for managing digital twin evidence in forensic investigations. We conducted controlled experiments comparing the Ethereum blockchain with IPFS storage against traditional SQL databases for digital twin evidence management. Our findings reveal that while blockchain provides superior data integrity and immutability, crucial for forensic applications, traditional databases offer better performance consistency. The blockchain implementation showed faster average storage times but higher variability in retrieval operations. Both systems maintained forensic integrity through hash verification, though blockchain's immutable nature provides additional security guarantees essential for legal proceedings. This research contributes to the development of robust digital forensic methodologies for emerging technologies in the metaverse era.
title Blockchain-based vs. SQL Database Systems for Digital Twin Evidence Management: A Comparative Forensic Analysis
topic Cryptography and Security
Databases
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00645